Chair



Dec. 6, 1949 R, DAWS ET AL 2,490,341

CHAIR Filed May 28, 1945 I 1 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS R0beviE.EBav8 and Alexand J. zwamwem 1949 R. L. DAVIS EI'AL. ,4 0,34

CHAIR Filed y 28, 94 3 Shets-Sheet s 65 in Ill/1'1 I 5 I Revll l li s and 5; 4 25 55 Alexanderipla checlii ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR Robert L. Davis and Alexander J. Plachecki, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporatlon of New Jersey Application May 28, 1945, Serial No. 596,380

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to chairs, and more particularly to chairs for occupancy by the operators of motor busses and other vehicles.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide a bus drivers chair which is adjustable to accommodate persons of different physique and to suit the preferences of the individual; to provide such a drivers chair which is adjustable as to height, as to forwardly-rearwardly moved position, and as to the tilt of seat and back; and to provide such a drivers chair which is sturdy in construction, convenient to adjust, and reasonably economical to manufacture.

.These objects are attained by the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a right hand and front perspective view of the chair in its maximum raised position of adjustment;

Figure 2 is a left hand and front perspective view of the chair in its maximum lowered position of adjustment;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the chair showing the seat in a raised position in order to disclose the chair-supporting parts below the seat;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a link which forms a part of the chair-supporting pedestal;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the chair taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3, showing the chair seat in side elevation with a portion broken away, and showing the chair in its maximum raised position of adjustment;

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 5 and taken on the same line of Figure 3, showing the chair frame and seat in side elevation, and

showing the chair in its maximum lowered position of adjustment;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line l-'-l of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 88 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the chair back frame in a rearwardly tilted position; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line iii-4t of Figure '7.

Referring now in. detail to these drawings wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals in. the several views, the bus driver's chair tl'ierein illustrated generally comprises a chair-supporting pedestal upon which is mounted a seat and back assembly. The pedestal is adjustable as to height, and includes an upwardly tapering base i of rearwardly opening U-shaped cross section and provided with flanges 2 for se- 2 curing the base to the floor of a vehicle by means of bolts 3.

A downwardly tapering seat bracket 4 of forwardly opening U-shaped, cross section is connected to the base I by a pair of rearwardly extending links 5, 6. The lower link 5 is of upwardly opening U-shaped cross section and has its forward end pivotally mounted on a pintle l secured within the base and extending transversely thereof. The rearward end of the lower link 5 is similarly pivotally mounted on a pintle 8 which is securedwithin the seat bracket 4 and which extends transversely thereof. The side flanges 9 of the lower link 5 have on their upper or forward edges arcuate racks l0 each comprising a series of spurs l l arranged in an are concentric with the pivotal connection of the link 5 to the seat bracket 4.

The upper link 6, which is shown per se in Figure 4, is of downwardly opening U-shaped cross section and has its forward end pivotally mounted on a pintle l2 transversely secured in the base I above the pintle l, and has its rearward end similarly pivotally mounted on a pintle l3 trans versely secured in the seat bracket 4 above the pintle 8. The upper links web portion M has a pair of slots [5 therethrough whose function will hereinafter be described.

An extension spring I6 has its forward end connected to the pintle I2 on the base I, and its rearward end connected -to a rod l1 secured transversely in the seat bracket 4 between the pintles 8 and I3. Thearrangementof the spring I6 is such that the seat bracket 4 and the seat and back assembly are normally urged forwardly and upwardly. This result is achieved by an arrangement of the spring I6 in which the distance between the pintle l3 and the 'springs point of attachment to the seat bracket 4, is greater than the distance between the pintle l2 and the springs point of attachment to the base I, which latter distance is zero in the arrangement shown. As illustrated in Figure 3, the spring I 6 may comprise a pair of individual spring units disposed side by side in order to provide sufilcient tension to raise the seat and back assembly, and this tension is such as to yield against the weight of a chair occupant.

A pair of detents I8 is pivotally mounted on a pintle l9 secured transversely in the seat bracket 4, and these detents extend downwardly through the slots IS in the upper link 6 and into engagement with the spurs ll of the arcuate racks II] on the lower link 5. A lever 20 for effecting vertical adjustment is mounted in a slide bearing member 2| on the left hand end of a strut 22 which connects the detents l8 and extends through an elongated aperture 23 in the left hand side wall of the seat bracket 4 (see Figures '7 and 10). It will be seen that when the forward end of the adjustment lever is moved upwardly as shown in dotted lines in Figure 5, the detents 18 are moved forwardly out'of engagement with the arcuate racks III. A tension spring 24 connected to the strut 22 and to the rear wall of the seat bracket 4 normally urges the detents 18 into engagement with the arcuate racks ID to thus releasably secure the seat in vertically adjusted position.

A plate 25 is horizontallydisposed on top of the seat bracket 4 and is secured as by welding to mounting brackets 26 on the seat bracket. A channel iron 21 and an angle iron 28 secured to the plate 25 by means of bolts 29 and nuts 30, form slide bearings for forwardly-rearwardly extending rods 3|, 32 respectively which form a part of the tubular seat frame 33 on which is mounted the seat 34. A horizontal adjustment lever 35 is turn'ably'mounted'between angle brackcats 36 secured as by welding to the seat bracket 4, and said lever- 35 lsoperably connected to a pm Why means'of a collar 38 on the pin. A compression spring '39 interposed between the collar 38 and amountingbracket-M for the pin 31, normally urges-the pin into engagement with one of a series of'horizontal apertures 4| in the rod 32 to-thus secure the seatframe 33 and the seat 34in selected forwardly-rearwardly moved. position.

The verticaladiustment'lever 20 is provided with a pin 42 which extends upwardly through a verticalopening 43 through the rod "32 and has a stop 44 secured on the upper-end thereof by means of a cutter. A compression spring 46 interposed-between the lever20 and the rod 32 normally urges the lever '20 downwardly, which movement ischecke'd by contact'of the stop 44 with the rod '32. An aperture '41 in the seat bottom '48 permitsupward travel'of the pin 42.

"The seat 34 'is 'hingedly secured to the front portion of the seat frame-33 by means of hinge straps 49,-50 which are secured to the seat bottom 48 by screws 5| and which surround the tubular seat frame.

-Means are provide'cl'whereby the angular tilt of the "seat 34 maybe varied'as desired by the operator of the vehicle. which'means comprise a seat-tilt adjustmentleverhaving a handle 52, a bearing 53 turnably mounted on therear portion of the tubular seat frame 33' and provided with radially'extending'arms 54,55, and 56 of different lengths.- 'The seat has a-stop plate 51 secured by -screws'58 to'the seat bottom 48 and provided with lugs '59 adapted to'engage one of the arms 54,-55,'and'56, and the rear of the seat'3 lis thus supported in a'seleeted position'of elevation.

'The chairback '60 is securedin'any conventional manner toa tubular chair backframe 6| which comprises an inverted 'U-shaped medial portion and downwardly and'forwardly extendingarms 62,63 pivotally connected by means of pins 64,- to the oppositesides respectively of the seat frame 33. The right hand arm 62 of the chair-back frame "6| is extended forwardly, and is provided at its forward end with a depending lug 66 secured thereto asby welding. A backtilt-adjustment'lever"67 is pivotally connected at 68 to the lug 66 and has a ,pin 69 extending through aslotlll in an adjustment plate H secured as bywelding'to the seat'frame 33. A leaf frame is thus free to turn about its pivotal connections with the seat frame 33. The range of such movement is limited by the length of the slot 18, and the lever 61 may be released at any 0f severalpoints within said range to thus engage the pin 59in a-notch 13 and secure the chair back in selected, angularly adjusted position.

It will be seen that a vehicle drivers chair has been provided which is adjustable in height and adjustable forwardly-rearwardly to accommodate drivers of different bodily structure thus to facilitate each drivers manipulation of the vehicles controls, and thatthe'chair back and chair seat are independently angularly adjustable to suit the preference of each driver.

While but one specific embodiment of the invention hasbeen hereinshown and described, it will 'be understood that certain details of construction may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as the same :isdefined by the following claims.

'We claim:

'1. In:a chainin combination: a base adapted for installation on the floor ofa vehicle .or the like,,a lower'link having "a web portion and upwardly extending side flanges pivotally connected to the base, an upperlink having a web portion provided with horizontally spaced slots therethrough and downwardly extending side flanges pivotally connected to the base above the lower link, said links extending rearwardly and upwardly from said base in vertically spaced substantially parallel relation, a seat bracket pivotally connected'to the upper rearward ends of said linkson vertically spaced horizontal axes, arcuate racks on the side flanges of the lower links arranged concentrically with said links pivotal connections to the seat bracket, detents pivotally connected to the upper portion of the seat bracket said detents depending through the slots in the upper'links web portion and being adapted to engage the racks on the lower links in various vertically adjusted positions of the seat bracket, spring means normally urging said detents into engagement with said racks, manually operable means for disengaging said detents from said racks, and a seatmountcd on the seat bracket.

2. In a chair, in combination: a base adapted for installation on the floor of a vehicle or the like and comprising an upstanding front wall and spaced upstanding side walls extending rearwardly from said front wall, a pair of horizontal pintles mounted on and between said side walls in vertical alignment, a lower link having a web portion and upwardly extending side flanges pivotally mounted at their forward ends on the lower pintle of said pair, an upper link having a web portion and downwardly extending side flanges pivotally mounted at their forward ends on the upper pintle of said pair, a seat bracket comprising an upstanding rear wall and spaced upstanding'side walls extending forwardly from said rear wall, a pair of horizontal pintles mounted on and between said side walls in vertical alignment and having pivotally connected thereto the rearward ends of said upper and lower links respectively, a spring connected to the base and to the seat bracket for normally urging the seat bracket in an upward direction, arcuate racks on the lower links side flanges arranged concentrically with said links pivotal connections to the seat bracket, detents pivotally connected to the seat bracket and adapted to engage said racks in various vertically adjusted positions of said seat bracket, spring means normally urging said detents into engagement with said racks, manually operable means for disengaging said detents from said racks, forwardly-rearwardly extending slide bearings on the seat bracket, a seat frame mounted in said slide bearings for forward-rearward movement therein and a seat on the seat frame movable therewith to forwardly-rearwardly adjusted positions and with the seat bracket to vertically adjusted positions, and manually operable means for releasably securing said seat frame in forwardly-rearwardly adjusted positions.

ROBERT L. DAVIS. ALEXANDER J. PLACHECKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 271,512 Pursell Jan. 30, 1883 483,777 Bredsvold Oct. 4, 1892 1,320,014 Lenard Oct. 28, 1919 2,031,248 Bishop Feb. 18, 1936 2,066,557 Cox Jan. 5, 1937 2,175,452 Whedon Oct. 10, 1939 2,219,456 Saunders et a1. Oct. 29, 1940 2,227,764 Saunders et a1. Jan. 7, 1941 2,292,414 Vernon Aug. 11, 1942 2,355,762 Van Derveer Aug. 15, 1944 2,383,173 Watter Aug. 21, 1945 2,400,812 Corte May 21, 1946 

